


The Relative Heights of Stormtroopers

by HawthorneWhisperer



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, And Thelonius is Obi Wan because they are both prone to maddeningly inconsistent statements, F/M, Ficlet, Jasper and Monty are C 3PO and R2D2, Wells is a jedi because you know he would be, and Murphy is Lando
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-06-28
Packaged: 2018-04-06 16:05:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4228191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HawthorneWhisperer/pseuds/HawthorneWhisperer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Because we really, really needed Bellamy Blake as Han Solo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_(Inspired by[this gifset](http://lady-annabeth-stark.tumblr.com/post/111500218518/arent-you-a-little-short-for-a-stormtrooper-very) and a conversation with swishywillow.)_

 

 

Bellamy leaned back in the corner booth of the cantina and frowned at Octavia.  “These guys better pan out,” he warned her, letting a note of desperation leak into his tone against his better judgment.  The truth was, he was worried.  The longer they were stuck out on a Dead Zone planet, the more likely it was that Tristan would track them down.  But they were broke and buying new motivators would cost an arm and a leg, which meant leaving required money, and that meant they needed a job.  Bellamy had been considering just stealing the motivators, but that would require disabling several alarm systems and a tracking device on the motivators themselves, and he wasn’t sure he could do that quickly enough to be off-planet by the time the theft was discovered.

He should have just finished that delivery for Tristan.  But he couldn’t bring himself to call people cargo, so instead he’d stopped on some rock out in the Dead Zone and unloaded them with strict instructions to claim they’d mutinied.  It didn’t work, and now the Blake Siblings had a multimillion credit price on their heads.  It was his damn fault to begin with, but O refused to leave his side and save herself.

O flashed him her usual cocky smile.  “They will,” she assured him.  “They’re desperate.  And I told them we needed half of the fifteen thousand upfront, which should be more than enough for the motivators.”  She looked towards the entrance where two tall, dark skinned men had entered.  “That’s them!” she said, waving cheerfully.

The men sat down and leveled their twin disapproving gazes at him.   _Great_ , he thought.  _Sanctimonious pricks.  Just the sort of passengers we need_.  He pulled the corner of his mouth into a cocky smirk, because he’d be damned if he let them get away with self-righteousness when they were the ones looking for a smuggler.  “I hear you need a ride.”

The older man nodded solemnly.  “We need transport to Arcadia, and we need to fly under the radar.  Half now, half upon arrival, just as your associate suggested.”

Bellamy stifled a snort at the idea of Octavia being his ‘associate.’  But the waves of desperation coming off the men gave him an idea.  “We can do that, but the price just went up.  Thirty thousand credits and you’ve got yourself a deal.”  Octavia opened her mouth to protest and he silenced her with a look.

“That’s double what she said!” the younger man exclaimed indignantly.

 “Well, it’s thirty thousand or staying here.  And good luck finding yourself another ship as fast as the Tertia Decima,” Bellamy smirked.

The older man looked unimpressed.  “Is that supposed to mean something?”

“You’ve never heard of the Tertia Decima?  She’s the fastest ship in the game these days.  We’ve made hundreds of runs and never once been picked up by the Mountain Men,” he sneered.  Truth be told, he was a little annoyed that so few people had heard of them, but he did his best to rectify that any chance he got.

The younger man looked ready to kill them both on the spot, but his father nodded.  “Thirty thousand it is.”  He turned to his son and spoke quietly, but not quietly enough.  “There’s a good chance they have Clarke already.  We can’t wait.  We’ll sell your speeder and with any luck, Abby can organize a rescue mission within days.”  He stuck his hand out to Bellamy first, then Octavia, and shook firmly.

“We’ll meet you at your ship in two hours.  May the force be with you.”

Octavia smiled politely, but Bellamy didn’t even try to hide his eye roll.  He had no use for Jedis these days, but money was money.  "Two hours,“ he growled.  "Or we leave without you.”


	2. Chapter 2

Bellamy couldn’t believe it.  One minute he was transporting two annoying, holier-than-thou passengers on a routine trip from the Dead Zone to Arcadia, and the next minute Arcadia was gone– _gone_ –and they were pulled into some giant Mountain Men battle station.  Bellamy had no interest in getting involved in a squabble between the Mountain Men and the tenuous Alliance, mostly because the Mountain Men were winning and Bellamy had no desire to lose.  All he wanted was to keep Octavia safe and make some honest (well, maybe not  _honest_ ) money, not fight for a noble-but-doomed cause like the Alliance.

“No,” he said firmly to Wells, who was now babbling about someone being here.  Because hiding in an enemy control tower wearing stolen storm-trooper armor was the perfect time to launch a ludicrous rescue mission.  “You’re staying put while your old man goes and shuts down the tractor beam.”  He looked at Thelonius.  “I’m coming with you,” he ordered, “and Octavia is staying here and keeping your idiot son safe.”

Wells looked mutinous.  “She’s my  _sister_ ,” he hissed.

“Step-sister,” Thelonius corrected.  “Ex-step-sister, to be accurate.  And Wells, I have to keep you safe and we have to get those plans to Abby.  That’s our mission.  If we stop for Clarke, we could lose everything.  The Alliance is more important–Clarke would agree.”

“I’m still going after her,” Wells announced.  “She would pay you, you know,” he told Bellamy.  “She’s a princess.  There would be a reward for rescuing her–Arcadia would pay, the Alliance would pay, her mother would pay…you’d be rich.”

Bellamy was about to refuse but the bounty on his head made him pause.  If they made enough money rescuing this princess he could pay off Tristan’s price himself, and that would mean no more dodging bounty hunters and worrying that Octavia had been taken every time she left his sight.  “Four million,” he declared.  “If you can get me four million credits, I’ll go get your damn princess.”

“Done,” Wells replied, silencing his father’s objections with a single look.

“Alright, new plan.  Octavia takes the geezer to get the tractor beam down, and I take the kid to go get the princess.  We meet back at the Decima and blast the hell out of here.”  He would figure out what to do about Arcadia’s complete disappearance later–for now, they had to get out of here and apparently the only way that was happening was if Wells went and got his princess.

And of course that plan went to hell, because Wells couldn’t even stick to a simple “We’ve been sent to relieve you; you’re wanted up on the bridge” script with the detention level guards.  Bellamy was forced to take them all out while Wells shot out the security cameras, but it was too late.  He pulled off the helmet that now did nothing useful except obscure his vision.  “We’ve got three, maybe four minutes before reinforcements show up,” he snapped at Wells as he scanned the records for their prisoner until he found  _Clarke Griffin, Cell 47_ listed halfway down.  “Watch this monitor and yell when  _that_  goes red.”  He shoved the helmet back on and sprinted down the hallway with his blaster in his hands, counting off the rooms until he found number 47.  He slapped the control panel and stepped in.

And then froze, because she was not what he was expecting.  He goggled for a minute, taking in her sharp blue eyes and determined chin.  “Aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper? she asked, sounding bored. Clarke certainly didn’t sound like someone scheduled for execution.  In fact, she sounded like he’d interrupted her reading her favorite book.  He hated her for that–he’d risked his life for her and her response was…boredom.

He tamped down the surge of annoyance that ran through him and pulled off the helmet.  “Not a stormtrooper, princess,” he snapped.  “I’m here to rescue you.”

Clarke sat up but he saw the flash of suspicion in her eyes.  Wells’ princess was smart, that was clear.  “I’ve got Wells and Thelonius.  We’re here to rescue you, unless you’d rather sit here and wait to die.  Doesn’t matter to me,” he lied, because this woman was worth four million credits and that happened to be the exact price Tristan had put on their heads.  

“You’re with Wells?” she asked, just as Wells started shouting.

“It’s red!  Bellamy, it’s red!” he shrieked and Bellamy grabbed Clarke roughly by the arm and pulled her into the hallway just in time to see fifteen Mountain Men pour through the lift doors as Wells tore down to where they hid in an alcove.  “What now?” Wells panicked, and Clarke rolled her eyes.  Blaster bolts spattered off the walls, filling the hall with smoke and shrapnel.

“Some rescue,” she muttered and snatched Bellamy’s blaster from his hands.  She blew out the cover of the trash chute and took out the six stormtroopers forming the Mountain Men’s front line.  “Go!” she yelled at Wells, who dove into the chute without question.  Clarke took out three more Mountain Men and then looked at Bellamy.  “What are you waiting for?” she snarled and Bellamy reluctantly followed Wells.

If they lived through this, he was upping his price to eight million credits. 


	3. Chapter 3

Bellamy charted a course for Tondc and tried not to smirk too much at the woman sitting next to him.  “Told you we’d get away,” he said, failing utterly.

She rolled her eyes and tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder.  “They let us go,” she said, and he saw a shadow of pain cross her face.  They had gotten away but not without a cost, and Thelonius’ death hung heavy over all of them.  Bellamy may not have liked him much, but his sacrifice had bought them the time they needed.  But he bristled at her suggestion that their escape–which involved Bellamy and Wells shooting down four enemy fighters apiece while Octavia piloted–had been easy.

It was too bad–when she  wasn’t risking Bellamy’s life, pouring scorn on him, and ordering him around, Clarke Griffin was almost pretty.  But instead of wanting to kiss her, he mostly wanted to drop her off on the nearest uninhabited planet.  “They’re tracking us,” she said firmly.  

Bellamy stood, catching her meaning at once.  “Then I’ll throw him out the airlock,” he announced.  He hadn’t really had time to discuss with Octavia the fact that just because a stormtrooper surrenders and claims to want to help you doesn’t mean he’s on your side, but by the time they were all piled into the Tertia Decima, dealing with Octavia’s newest stray didn’t seem like a priority.   Instead  Bellamy just locked Lincoln in a smuggling compartment and focused on getting them the hell out of there.

Clarke shook her head.  “Lincoln’s what he says he is–Wells’ might not be fully trained yet, but he’s strong in the force.”  Bellamy frowned at this, but she continued undaunted. “I trust his impressions of people.  It’s not Lincoln.  I meant they’re tracking your ship.”

“Not my ship, princess,” Bellamy snapped.  The Tertia Decima was practically family, and despite her decrepit appearance she was a beauty on the inside–an inside Bellamy and Octavia had rebuilt, piece by piece.  This princess’ sneering judgement of her stung.

“Fine.  When the Mountain Men show up at your doorstep, don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she said coldly.  “I’m going to go check on Wells.”  She left the cockpit just as Octavia entered.  “Your brother’s a piece of work, you know,” Clarke growled.

Octavia dropped into the seat Clarke had just vacated.  “Making friends as usual, I see.”  Bellamy huffed to himself and pretended like the nav computer needed his attention.  “You going to let Lincoln out any time soon?  Wells confirmed he’s a defector.  He’s not lying, Bell.  He wants to help us.”

“We don’t need help,” Bellamy grumbled.

“You could at least not alienate the woman who’s going to pay our bounty,” O countered calmly.

“I’m not alienating her,” Bellamy threw back.  “She’s the one insulting our ship.  We saved her, not the other way around.”

Octavia looked like she was about to say something but closed her mouth and shook her head instead.

“Still,” he said, unable to stop his traitorous mouth from moving, “I like her spirit.  What do you think, O–a princess, and a guy like me?”

Octavia snorted derisively.  “Not a chance, Bell.  I think she’s more likely to kill you than anything else.  I’m going to go let Lincoln out and leave you here with your feelings.”

Bellamy chucked a loose knob her way as Octavia stood to leave, but her smirk told him she understood what he’d meant.

The sooner they arrived in Tondc, the better.  Bellamy couldn’t wait to be rid of all of them.


	4. Chapter 4

Bellamy used to consider himself the luckiest sonofabitch in the galaxy.  He could slip past Mountain Men patrols and talk his way out of just about any jam he and Octavia found themselves in, and he won the Tertia Decima with just a handful of well placed bets and a thorough knowledge of Murphy’s weaknesses.  But since the moment he pulled Clarke Griffin out of Cell 47, his luck had gone to hell.

Everything seemed fine at first–they’d escaped the battle station and made it to Tondc, where, true to Wells’ word, the Blakes picked up enough credits to pay off Tristan.  The Alliance was preparing to take out the battle station–the precious information Clarke had sent to Wells was an analysis of its weaknesses–and Octavia argued in favor of staying.  “They need us,” she’d pleaded, but Bellamy refused.  His sister’s soft heart had gotten them into trouble more than once and he wasn’t about to risk her life for a lost cause.

They were safely off Tondc by the time Octavia managed to wear him down.  They returned in time to shoot a few fighters off Wells’ tail as he took out the entire battle station, and the subsequent award ceremony, with Clarke in full princess mode at the front of the grand hall, had made him swell with pride in a way he’d long forgotten was possible.  The way Clarke smiled at him made his heart twist and for once he gave in to that boy he’d buried deep inside of him and smiled back.

But with every passing day spent with the Alliance it became harder and harder to leave.  First Octavia started training to fly an X-wing while Lincoln kept shadowing her around despite his new position training ground troops and providing inside intel on Mountain Men procedures.  Then the entire base relocated–four times, maybe five–and with each move Bellamy found himself packing up and following even though there was still a price on their heads that he needed to handle.  He told himself it was to keep O safe and not at all because of an irritating princess.

And then one day he found himself shouting until he was hoarse at Clarke Griffin in a snow tunnel passing for a hallway as she shouted right back.  Her Royal Pain-in-the-Assness didn’t give a damn that the bounty was endangering not just him and Octavia but also the Alliance, and he hated her for it.  Even worse was the fact that he couldn’t even follow what she was saying, thanks to his idiotic brain insisting on sidetracking him with thoughts of crushing her against him and kissing her until they forgot what they were fighting about.  (To be perfectly honest, Bellamy had forgotten what they were fighting about four insults ago but he’d be damned if he was going to let her win).

“You selfish, arrogant, worthless–” Clarke spat, but an explosion rocked the base and cut off the rest of her tirade.  Bellamy covered her with his body as they fell, shielding her from the worst of the rubble.  The tunnel fell silent and Bellamy realized this was the closest they had ever been, the length of their bodies pressed together and their lips just centimeters apart.  “You planning on getting off me?” Clarke snapped.

Bellamy winked as he stood up, simply because he knew it would infuriate her.  “It’s all I’ve got time for, Princess.”  Her face contorted with rage and he smirked, pleased to have won at least one round.

His comlink squawked with a burst of static as Lincoln paged him.  “Blake, you with Griffin?  The base is under attack and we need to evacuate.”

“I’ve got her,” he confirmed.  “But the tunnels to the main hangar bay just took heavy damage.  You with O?”

“She’s escorting the first transport out–they’re leaving in five.”

“Right, well, the Decima is in the back bay.  I’ll get Princess out that way and meet you at the rendezvous,” Bellamy replied.  

He wrapped his fingers around her bicep and started leading her down a side tunnel, but she jerked her arm out of his grasp.  “I can walk just fine,” she hissed, and narrowed her eyes when Bellamy answered by giving her a mocking bow.  “I hate you,” she grumbled and quickened her pace.

“Feeling’s mutual,” he lied, following in her wake.


	5. Chapter 5

Bellamy and the Tertia Decima had been through a lot together.  From the day he won her from Murphy in a sabacc game (Murphy still maintained Bellamy had cheated, but it’s not like Murphy was a paragon of virtue during that game either) she’d been a home to him and Octavia.  Sure, she had some rough spots and a bad habit of stalling out when the forward thrusters were firing if the rear deflection shields were angled just so, but she was a good, reliable, fast ship and Bellamy loved her for it.

He loved her a little less right now, however, because “in the middle of an asteroid field” was not the best time for the navigation systems to crash.  Clarke had managed to land her on a large asteroid while Bellamy pulverized smaller ones that threatened the hull from the quad laser cannons, but for the next twelve hours they were sitting ducks while the Decima rebooted from scratch.

Bellamy left the cockpit after checking the reboot progress and paused, wondering where Clarke had gone.  He couldn’t even hear her annoying droids who had toddled on to the Decima just before they blasted out of the ice nation headquarters.  He’d threatened to meltdown the protocol droid so often Clarke had reluctantly shut JAZ-PR into an empty bunk, but the little astromech droid MON-T was usually puttering around, beeping indignantly whenever Bellamy ran into him.

Bellamy heard a quiet curse from a small alcove.  “Need a hand, Princess?”

She was frowning at a series of wires attached to the positive power coupling in a small mechanical access alcove.  “These got fried as we landed.  Thought if I striped them and–what are you doing?” she asked as he crowded in behind her.  

He brushed his chest against her back and put his lips near her ear.  “Helping,” he explained, curling his fingers over hers.  Clarke froze and he felt a small shiver run through her body.

“I’ve got it,” she said quietly, but didn’t shake him off.  His calluses scraped against her hands and his breath skittered across her neck.  

“There,” he murmured as they anchored the power couplings back to their power source.  Clarke dropped her hands and spun around.  Bellamy stayed where he was, caging her between his body and the wall.  

“Bellamy, I–” she whispered and swallowed hard.  “I can’t.”

“Why not, Princess?” he breathed back and moved closer.  Their breath mingled and his heart pounded.

Clarke straightened and pressed him back. “You’re going to leave.  You’ve been trying to leave since the moment we met.  And I can’t lose you too,” she said matter of factly and shouldered him aside.

Bellamy stood in the access way, befuddled.  Clarke had lost people in this war–more than he and O had lost, at least.  She had loved Thelonius, and Bellamy had heard rumors about her and Spacewalker, the hotshot pilot blown out of the sky during a skirmish.  Her father was one of the casualties of the Mountain Men’s new superweapon, lost when Arcadia was blown out of the sky to punish Clarke for lying.  She lost her people then too and she carried that guilt with her everywhere, the pain of it etched behind those sharp blue eyes that had stolen his breath away the moment he met her.

  
But he had never, not even for a moment, believed he would ever be on the list of people she couldn’t bear to lose.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special credit to bleedtoloveher for suggesting Murphy as Lando.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve, Blake,” Murphy sneered and Bellamy wondered for the hundredth time since they left the asteroid field if he’d made the wrong choice.  But the Decima was limping and Murphy’s little outpost was the only safe place either of them could think of.  (Although really, Bellamy was only pretty sure Murphy probably wouldn’t try to kill him.  This time. Safety was relative these days.) **  
**

Bellamy put himself between Murphy and Clarke.  “Look, I know things haven’t always been great between us–”

“Great?  You stole my ship and last time I saw you you accused me of murder.”

“Yeah, but then I cleared you so–”

“You accused him of murder?” Clarke murmured in his ear.

“In my defense I was pretty sure he was guilty,” Bellamy whispered back.

Clarke shoved her way past Bellamy and he caught the flicker of interest in Murphy’s eyes.  “We need repairs and we’ll pay for your discretion,” she said, cutting off their argument.  

“Who’s this one?” Murphy asked with a wink and Bellamy clenched his hands into fists.

“None of your business,” Clarke said cooly.  “We need a new hyperdrive and  the motivators are on their last legs so we’ll need those replaced too.  How soon can your people fix it?”

Murphy raked his gaze over her in a way that made Bellamy take a threatening step towards him.  “For you?  Two days.  I’ll even let you two stay in my quarters while you wait.”

Despite their conversation back in the asteroid field, Bellamy draped a possessive arm over her shoulders as they followed Murphy from the landing pad and he could have sworn she leaned into his touch.


	7. Chapter 7

Clarke was pacing when Bellamy returned from checking on the Decima.  “I don’t like it here,” she started without preamble.  JAZ-PR went missing for three days and MON-T found him blown to pieces in a garbage heap.  Murphy swears it must have been an accident, but I don’t trust him.”  She crossed her arms and frowned, like she was expecting a fight.

“You’re right–something’s off.  I don’t know what Murphy’s people are doing, but they aren’t fixing her.  We’re leaving.  We can try our luck in the Mecha System,” he announced and Clarke looked relieved.

“Great, I’ll–” she broke off as the door behind them slid open.  “Murphy, we’re leaving,” she started and then froze as a dozen armed men swarmed in behind him.

“Afraid not, princess,” Murphy drawled.  “You two will be staying here for the time being.”  He leaned casually against the wall and smiled.  Bellamy contemplated punching Murphy despite the blasters pointed his way.  “As it turns out, you two are quite valuable to the Mountain Men, and well, we’ve got a few debts out here that you’re going to help us pay off.  They sent out a bulletin a few days before you arrived.  I didn’t have a choice.”  He jerked his head at his men who grabbed both and shoved them roughly into the hallway.

“You always have a choice,” Bellamy spat.

Murphy stopped his men and stepped close to Bellamy.  “Not all of us.” His goons thrust them into a holding cell and backed away with their weapons drawn.

“I’ll kill you, Murphy!” Bellamy roared.

Murphy chuckled drily.  “I’m sure you’ll try. For what it’s worth, they don’t want you.  They’re setting a trap for someone–some Jaha kid.  Once he’s gone, you two will stay here and I’m sure you’ll figure out a way to blast your way out of here.  Consider us even, Blake.”  He slammed the door and they were alone.

Bellamy turned to Clarke but the moment he opened his mouth she crashed into him, kissing him fiercely.

He kissed her back for a heartbeat and then thrust her away.  “Now?” he gasped.

“Do you really think the Mountain Men will let us go?”  Bellamy paused and Clarke rolled her eyes.  “I’ve been sentenced to death before, Bellamy.  This is better than waiting around to die, I promise.”

His heart ached at the way she resigned herself to death, but she had a point so he cuffed a hand around the nape of her neck and drew her back to him.

If these were his last moments, he would spend them with her.


	8. Chapter 8

They were dozing in the corner, leaning on each other, when the door hissed open.  “Change of plans,” Murphy drawled, but Bellamy saw the way his sometime-friend’s hands trembled slightly.  Whatever it was, it wasn’t good–and Murphy wasn’t in control anymore.  “I did my best to convince them, but–”

“Get to the point,” Bellamy interrupted. Clarke’s hand found his and they stood together.

Murphy sighed dramatically. “They’re putting you in carbon freeze.  They want to know if it works on Jaha and–”

“–and they need to know it’s survivable,” Clarke finished.   She squeezed his hand tightly and looked up.  “It should be.  Painful, but not fatal.  We’ll–we’ll be okay.”

“Not you, princess,” Murphy said and Bellamy fought against the urge to punch him for using  _his_ nickname for her.  “Just him. He’s being handed over to a bounty hunter.  Name’s Anya.  She’s pretty, but mean. You’d like her.“ A flicker of something like regret crossed Murphy’s face and he swallowed hard. "You’re being sent to the Mountain Men.”

Clarke put herself between him and  Murphy, as if she could physically protect him from his fate.  Bellamy wrapped his arms around her chest and buried his face in her hair as he pressed her back against him.  “Whatever you do, you stay safe and you get out of there.  And you don’t come looking for me,” he breathed in her ear.

She spun around as several armed Mountain Men filed into their cell.  “You think I won’t come for you?” she asked and kissed him thoroughly, like it might be the last time.  And maybe it was.

The Mountain Men wrenched them apart.  “You won’t,” he told her.  “You’ve got a war to win, princess. That’s more important than me.”

The walk to the carbon chamber was short–too short.  He wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet, not when he still wasn’t sure either of them would survive.  The second they removed his cuffs he took his chance and bolted, shouldering a Mountain Man out of the way.  He caught Clarke in his arms for one last desperate kiss, full of teeth and tears.  He tried to memorize her, to take every single thing he’d ever learned about her with him.  “You take care of O, okay?  You get out of here, you find her, and you win your war,” he pleaded.  Someone grabbed his arm and pulled him roughly back.  Restraints went around his ankles and his elbows but his eyes never left Clarke’s.  Tears tracked down her cheeks and MON-T beeped mournfully at her side.

“I love you,” she called hoarsely as the platform started to lower him down.

“I know,” he called back, remembering the feel of her lips against his.

And then there was nothing but an icy wave so cold he felt like he was burning, and then darkness.


	9. Chapter 9

Bellamy was cold.  Colder than he’d ever been in his life, wracked with chills that went to his bones and then deeper, into his soul.  He would never be warm again, but even as that thought crossed his mind a warm hand brushed across his brow and down his cheek. **  
**

Someone was there but all he could see was black and he tried to sit up in a panic.  “Shhh,” someone whispered in his ear.  Someone familiar, someone whose scent sent a wave of longing through him.  “I told you I’d come for you,” she murmured.

Clarke.  He couldn’t see her, but she was there, her arms around his shoulders, her warmth seeping into him.  “I can’t see you,” he admitted, terrified.

“It’s a side effect of the freeze.  Temporary.  You have to be quiet–we’re getting you out of here.”

“We?” he whispered hoarsely as Clarke helped him to his feet.

“You don’t think I’d leave you behind, do you big brother?” another familiar voice said and took his other arm.  Bellamy let them lead him through the unending darkness, trusting them when they told him to stop, squeezing their hands when they held their breath as the even tread of someone on guard duty passed them by.

Then suddenly he was enveloped by blazing warmth and the black lightened to a deep red.  Bellamy flinched away as Clarke and Octavia breathed sighs of relief.  “Just a little farther,” Clarke told him.  “Murphy’s bringing the Decima around.”

“Murphy?” Bellamy spat.

“He got Clarke away from the Mountain Men and brought her straight to me and then basically organized this rescue party so yeah, Murphy,” Octavia threw back.

Bellamy made a face in what he hoped was her general direction as the familiar whine of repulsorlifts drowned out any other noise.  He ducked on to the Decima’s gangplank and let Clarke lead him through the familiar halls to the med bay.  She settled him on a bunk and kissed his forehead lightly.  “You need to sleep,” she said briskly, but Bellamy grabbed her wrist as she stood to go.  Even blind he knew her body, he realized.

“I love you, princess,” he said, finally spitting out the words that had been caught in his throat ever since the carbon freeze hit him.

He could almost hear her gentle smile and she brushed his hair back from his face.  “I know,” she said, dropping a quick peck on his lips and once again turning to leave.  “Now sleep,” she ordered.

As he fell asleep, he could have sworn that for a moment, the darkness lifted and he saw a flash of gold.


End file.
